Man with history of violence caught shooting at passing Southern California motorists

A 40-year-old man with a violent criminal history was who was reportedly firing a handgun into the air and at passing vehicles in San Bernardino County was taken into custody after leading police in a foot pursuit, officials announced Tuesday.  

Officers with the Ontario Police Department responded to reports of the man, now identified as Colton resident Edward Metcalf, firing the weapons at passing motorists at around 3 a.m. on Nov. 12.  

“When officers arrived, the suspect was still standing in the street holding the firearm,” Ontario PD said in a post to X, formerly Twitter. “When officers began giving the suspect verbal commands, he retreated to a nearby hotel and discarded the firearm.”  

Body-worn camera footage released by the department showed officers in a foot chase with the 40-year-old in the parking lot of the hotel, where officers recovered the gun, which was left on the ground near a vehicle.  

Authorities said that after a brief standoff, the 40-year-old, who is seen in the footage wearing a white shirt with a bandage across his nose, was taken into custody and arrested on multiple felony charges.  

Metcalf, officials added, is currently on post-release community supervision out of Riverside County.  

Anyone with information about this incident or who might have been a victim of Metcalf’s is urged to contact the Ontario Police Department at 909-986-6711 or Detective Lefler at 909-408-1830.  

Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the WeTip Hotline at 800-78-CRIME or leave tips online at www.wetip.com.